Minestrone - Italian
Vegetable Soup
Cooking Time: 1 hour
Preparation Time: 15 mins
Servings: 5
This Italian soup will make a delicious starter or a meal on its own. It's also suitable for vegetarians, if prepared with vegetable stock and the ham hock is omitted.
Ingredients:
¾ ltr Recipere Chicken or Vegetable Bouillon
1 ham hock
1 tbs olive oil
1 onion, chopped small
2-3 celery sticks, cut small
2-3 carrots, cut small
2 stalks of leeks, cut small
1 cup of peas, fresh or frozen
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 medium potatoes, cut into cubes
1 tin of Borlotti beans, drained
1 tablespoon of tomato purée
2 tbsp small pasta shells
salt and pepper
chopped flat parsley
freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Method:
1.Gently fry the onion in the oil.
2. Add the carrots and celery and gently fry a few more minutes.
3. Add the tomato purée and cook for 1 minute.
4. Mix in the leaks and peas.
5. Pour in bouillon.
6. Add the ham hock.
7. Now add the beans and potatoes and leave to simmer for 40 minutes – Remove
the ham hock.
8. Add the past shells and leave to simmer for another 7-10 minutes, depending on
the size of pasta.
9. Dice the meat from the ham hock and put it into the soup.
10. Mix in some chopped parsley.
11. Season to taste.
12. Sprinkle with grated parmesan and serve with crusty bread.